Got Some New Gear!!!

Just received some new gear in the mail. I have been messing around with it to make sure it’s going to work. I packed up my backpack with everything I am taking on the AT minus food and tent. Not sure of the weight yet since I don’t have a scale but will figure that out when I have everything.

Here is the sleeping bag I just received. It is a Western Mountaineering UltraLite 20 degree. It weighs 1.18lbs. It packs down pretty small with the included stuff sack but it is not water proof. I will be getting a new water proof compression sack for it because it is filled with down. When down gets wet it loses a lot of its warming characteristics. I debated on getting a synthetic filled bag but you just can’t argue the warmth to weigh ratio with down. It seems to be really high quality. Of all the reviews I have read it should not disappoint.

For cooking my meals every night I picked up an MSR MicroRocket stove. It uses IsoPro canisters and weighs 0.16lbs. I haven’t tested this yet because I do not have any IsoPro canisters. I’ll get these when I move back to new Hampshire. It came with a piezo lighter which is the thing with the red handle and black button in the picture. I will probably be ditching the piezo and just use a Bic to save weight. The stove also fits inside my Snow Peak titanium pot set which is convenient.

The last piece of new gear is this Sawyer Squeeze water filter. I currently use a Katadyn Hiker Pro filter but it is bulky and filters water really slow. This filter weighs only 3oz and you do not have to pump it. You fill the bag, shown in the picture, and connect it to the left side and squeeze the water out through the nozzle. It works really well and does not take much effort like my old pump filter.

I am waiting on my tent to come in which should be tomorrow. I will make another post when I have set it up.